That time of year again, when the Heroes Alliance makes the rounds of the local comic shops, taking pictures with children (and grown-up kids too!), and surreptitiously browsing the shelves ;)
This year, Packrat Comics in Hilliard OH had the wonderful and wonderfully talented Doug Jones there to sign autographs (and take pictures and liberally distribute hugs). Packrat was my last stop of the day in my new Star Trek uniform (not perfect yet, but it will get there). I went as Captain Pike's Number One from "The Menagerie/The Original Pilot", but most everyone thought I was a Rule 63 Captain Kirk (not so, I'd do my hair much different for Kirk, but at least I know the costume has many uses in it).
After first getting a picture (for me) and a Hellboy DVD case (for my brother) signed by the lovely Mr. Jones, I then went back around because it completely slipped my mind to ask for a picture with him.
Then, as the remnants of the Heroes Alliance were winding down and getting ready to go our separate ways for the evening, I heard Doug telling another young lady that the makeup for Abe Sapien took 5 hours every day to put on. I thought "well, why not? When am I going to get another chance to do this?" So I grabbed my phone and pulled up this picture -
And told him about my 5 hours in the makeup chair. He just said "Honey, that is beautiful! You keep being and creating beautiful things!"Honestly, I'm a positive person and I have met a lot of nice people, but I have never in my life met such an exuberantly, enthusiastically, unabashedly kind person who loves hugs so much! Really, he's got to be the most cuddly person I've ever met and I feel blessed to have made his acquaintance and shared a few hugs!
And I got so spend time with many more friends, one of whom joined Starfleet a hundred years after I did, Captain Sisko. Next time I'll have my Jadzia Dax uniform and Trill Spots ready to go!
